Flexible health chair



Feb. 7, 1939. H PETERS 2,146,191

FLEXIBLE HEALTH CHA IR 7 Filed March 16, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l 4' D 4-2 4 fl-Z 42 D 13 1,15 v23 a7 5 l2 50- d is U 47 47 Z4 24 6 56 J INVENTOR H. E. PETERS ATTORNEY Feb. 7, 1939. H E, PETERS 2,146,191

FLEXIBLE HEALTH CHA IR Filed March 16, 1937 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.5

. INVENTOR H.E. PETERS ATTORNEY 7, 1939. H PETERS 2,146,191

FLEXIBLE HEALTH CHAIR Filed March 16, 1957 s Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR H.E. PETERS ATTORN EY Patented Feb. 7, 1939 j I ;U,NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLEXIBLE HEALTH CHAIR Henry E. Peters, Seattle, Wash. Application March 16, 1937, Serial No. 131,140 4 Claims. (01. 155-29) -This invention relates to chairs, and particularly flexible chairs with movable parts, that may be shifted into various positions by an occupant seated therein, for healthfulsupport of the body.

, It is assumed and believed, that in most kinds of physical deformity, the skeletal tissue of the body is misaligned and irregular, and that the circulation within and function of the parts so affected are relative to the nature and degree of the skeletal'articular misalignment. Numerous maladies are attributable frequently to skele tal misalignment and visceral displacement.

Itis therefore an object of this invention to provide a chair with a movable back and other l5 movable parts, to form fit the body, upon which the body may be supported in various positions,

to relieve visceral displacement and skeletal misalignment, and to prevent undue pressure and strain on the various muscles of the body and 20 to relax the same, while the various positions of the chair are varied.

A further object is to provide such a chair with a seat member constructed with a depression in the rear portion of the top face thereof to con- 25 formto the shape of the muscles of the upper portion of the thighs and buttock, and provided with elevated front and side portions, for supporting theweight of the individual in healthful positionsjonsaid seat. It is also an object to 30 mount said seat in slidable relation, in front of the movable back member of said chair, and to adjustably connect said back and seat, to provide constant contact with certain parts of the body, while thepositions of the parts of said chair, are

35 changed.

It is a further object to provide such a chair pivotally mounted on an axle, and to so adjust the position of the parts of said chair, so that the center of the weight of the body thereon will 40 remain substantially over such axle, while the positions of the chair are Varied.

It is also important on occasions that the body be brought into various recumbent positions, sometimes with the head portion'thereof in a 45 lower position than the foot portion, to relieve visceral displacements, and. for relaxing the muscles of the abdominal and pelvic regions, and to relieve or prevent congestion therein. It is therefore among the objects of this invention. to pro- 50 vide such an adjustable chair, whereby the upper faces thereof for contact with a body, may be brought into various planes, said chair to be also supported adjustably over said axle for lowering either the head or foot portion, while the face of 55 said chair is on a single plane, or on various angles, for easing affected parts of the body into their natural positions, for relieving visceral displacements, and so that the body may be gently stretched to facilitate complete relaxation of the muscles. 5

With these and other objects, that will hereinafter appear, I have illustratively exemplified my invention by the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, with parts broken 1 away.

Figure 2 is rear elevation of the chair, with the back elevated.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan.

Figure 4 is a side elevation partly in section, with parts of teeth broken away, and with the back lowered and foot rest elevated.

Figure 5 is a front elevation, taken on line 55 of Figure 1, with a portion of the back and bottom enlarged.

Figure 6 is a perspective detail view of the rear seat, with fragments of adjoining parts.

Figure 7 is a side elevation, with front and back portions substantially level, with parts broken away or omitted.

Figure 8 is a detail side; view of the rear seat, in section enlarged and taken on line 8--8 of Figure 6, and

Figure 9 is a detail view enlarged of the rear seat, partly in section, taken on line 9--9 of Figure 8.

Like characters on the different figures represent like parts.

An outside supporting frame is generally indicated as A, and formed of bottom side rails I 0, posts 12 at corners, top side rails l3, and cross braces l4. Inner top rails l5 are attached to the posts, and are provided with notches l6 and I1, along the top edge for supporting other movable parts. The frame is mounted on casters for mov- 40 ing the chair on a floor.

Operative hand wheels l8, are mounted on the. ends of a cross drive shaft 19, which is rotatably supported in ordinary journals 2|, affixed to the rear posts. Drive pinion gears 20, are-attached to the shaft. A back member, generally designated as B, is formed of parallel rails 24, connected by slats 25. On the rear lower edges of these rails are afiixed curved sectors 26, provided with rack teeth 26', on the central portions thereof, which mesh in the teeth of the pinion gears, for shifting the positions of the chair when the hand wheel is manually turned.

The back and rails 24, are pivotally supported on a cross axle 21, and the endsi of the axle are supported in said notches l1. A tie rod 28, connects the rails 24, and the body of said rod between the rails provides lifting bearings 28'. Cross rods 29 and 30 also connect the sectors, and serve to actuate arms for elevating the foot portions of the chair. Rods 3| attached to the upper rear edges of the rails 24, provide guides for another cross rod 32, which is provided with loops 33, on the ends thereof, for slidable disposition .over curved arms 22. These arms 22, are pivotally connected at their rear ends, to the rear ends of the top rails l5, and are prevented by said loops from spreading outward when used by occupant seated upright, and prevent the arms 22,

from moving, when used for stretching the body, in position shown in Figures 4 and '7.

34 represents guides for supporting seats and are pivotally connected at their rear ends to said axle 21, and their front ends are supported on a cross bar 35, which extends therethrough, with the ends thereof normally resting in said notches it, in top of the frame. Seat runners 36, are slidably mounted over the guides 34, with their front ends pivotally supported on the ends of a cross tie rod 31. Another tie rod 38, maintains the runners suitably spaced and moves said runners attached thereto. Mounted over the front end of such runners 36, is a front section 39, of a seat also designated, as C; and mount-ed over the rear end of such runners is the principal or rear section 49, of the seat, also indicated as Ca'.

An auxiliary back member of sheathing, D, is slidably disposed on the front face of the member B, and adjustably connected by links 4|, to

the rear ends of said runners by the said cross rod 38. The links are pivotally connected to the rails 42, by pins 45,. A series .of holes 46, through the links, provides for adjusting the distance between the member D and the rear .of seat 49, to conform with requirements of persons of different size. Between the side rails 42, of the back D are ordinary slats 43, and a special panel 44, to fit the back of the individual, is suspended by pivot rod 44 extended into the rails 42.

Arms 50, are pivotally connected at their front ends over the cross rod 31, and extend backward and their rear ends provided with eyes 5|, which connect with the lower portions of the back rails 24, by pivotal mounting over said lugs 28.

The arms 59, are provided with a central tie rod 56'. Thus when the back of the chair is lowered, the arms 59, are pushed forward, and the cross rod 31 and front ends of the runners with the seats are moved forward and upward. Simultaneously, the links are drawn forward by said rod 38 and the auxiliary back is thereby drawn downward, both without changing, the position of the back or seats on the body of the individual, who is moved with said seats and back, with his center of weight over the axle.

The front seat section. 39, is connected over the runners by pivotal contact with the rod 31, and the rear section of the seat 40 is adjustably connected over the runners and the cross rod 38, by sets of pins 49, which are projected through and below such seat and span said rod 38. Seat section 49 is also provided with bracket legs 55 which extend down from the rear portion thereof, for tilting the said seat section. When the back of the chair is lowered to positions shown in Figures 4 and '7, the cross rod 29 is moved forward by the sectors 25 and impinges against the lower ends of said brackets, and thereby tilts the face of the seat section 49, to conform with the natural position of the body resting thereon.

Further provisions are made for the support of the feet and lower extremities of the individual, as follows: Extension rails 41 are pivotally connected at their upper ends onto the front cross rod 31, and provided with a central cross rod 48 and also with a lower rung 49 for a foot rest, between the lower ends of the rails. Rings 55 may be carried over the rungs for stirrups into justable placement over either of the sector rods 29 or 39, for various elevations of the foot rest. When said sectorsare rotated, the said arms 52 are pushed forward or drawn back, and the front extension rails and foot rest carried to various positions desired, as illustrated in Figures 1, 4 and 7.

The rear seat section 40, has its top face hollowed out at the rear portion, with a concave depression 51, to conform with the ordinary shape of the muscles of the upper portion of the thigh, and with a short supporting central ridge 58, at the front of the depressions to support the pubic structure between the thighs. Said depression gradually slopes upward to the highest portions of the seat as at 59 on the sides, and at 69 in front to support the principal weight of the body. The rear. edge of this seat is lower than the front portion and is as low as the lowest portion of the face of the seat, and is spaced from the lower end of the auxiliary back and in position to escape the principal weight of the body beneath the spinal column, and to so relieve from pressure beneath .the hip joints and on the lower spine. When the back and seat are tilted as before described, the same contact with the body is maintained. I

When the several parts of the chair have been shifted to provide an approximate horizontal plane, as in Figure '7, the several parts of the chair no longer move individually, .but as the back is lowered still further the central parts of the chair and the front end all rotate together as a whole over the axle 21, and the body will lie in a recumbent position thereon, stretched out thereon in natural position, with every part of the body supported by the face portions of the chair while approximately balanced on the axle. The various positions of the chair may be easily obtained by the operations of the hand wheels, turned by the occupant, in whatever position he may be on the chair. Dotted lines are shown in several of the figures, with like numerals to illustrate shifted positions of the several parts of the chair when the hand wheel is rotated to various positions. It will be noted that when the chair has been turned to position shown in Figure 1, that the lower endsof the back rails 24, will have contacted the cross bars 35, and raised them from the notches l6, and thus elevated the forward portions of the guides 34, and seat runners and seats, to form fit beneath the back of the individual recumbent thereon.

It will be understood that when the back of the chair is disposed approximately perpendicular, that the rear edge 'ofthe seat 49 is approximately over the axle 21, and the weight of the body balanced thereover, permitting easy movement of the chair. Again when the chair back is lowered, said seat is moved forward, and the individual is also carried forward thereby, and by the sliding auxiliary back, and the weight of the individual continued approximately balanced over the axle, with the body supported partly by the seat and partly by the said back. The space between the rear seat and the lower end of the back at all times prevents any pressure against shown certain detailed construction, yet my invention is not limited to such specific method of construction, and I desire to claim the invention, for the purposes mentioned, with all'such variations as may be within the scope of my claims.

Having described my invention, I claim as new:

1. A flexible health chair, with a plurality of movable parts, comprising a supporting frame, an axle mounted across said frame, a chair back mounted on said axle and adapted to rotate in relation to said frame, a drive shaft revolvably mounted across said frame, sectors affixed to lower ends of said chair backs, rack teeth carried 'on the sectors, pinion gears affixed to said shaft with the teeth thereof in mesh with said rack teeth, and means for turning said shaft and rotating said axle and chair into various positions, guides mounted on said frame in front of said back member, a seat slidably mounted over said guides, a sheathing slidably mounted on the front face of said back member and pivotally connected to and in spaced relation with the said seat and adapted to move downward and forward as said seat is moved forward on said guides; extension rails pivotally connected to front of said guides, arms pivotally connected to and between I saidrails and said sectors and adapted to raise and lower said rails for a leg and foot rest when said sector is turned and said back raised and ing movable parts comprising, a supporting frame, an axle mounted across said frame, a chair back member pivotally suspended on said axle, a sheathing member slidably disposed upon the front side of said back member, guides supported by said axle in front of said back, a seat slidably mounted over said guides in front of said sheathing and connected in pivotal relation by links therewith and adapted to move forward when said sheathing and back are lowered, and adapted to move backward when said sheathing and back are raised for maintaining constant contact with fixed positions on the back and thighs of the occupant of said chair while the positions of the chair are varied, with means for moving said chair back and axle on said frame.

3. A flexible health chair, with a plurality of movable parts in substantial balance on a supporting frame, said parts comprising, rails for a back member pivotally supported on an axle, a back sheathing slidably mounted on said rails, means connected to the lower portion of said rails adapted to shift the various parts of said chair to various positions when said back rails are rotated on said axle, a seat slidably mounted in front of said sheathing, and flexibly connected thereto, and adapted to move forward and back as said back member is raised or lowered on said axle to conform with various positions of the body of an individual, extension rails pivotally connected in front of said seat, with means for elevating said rails for a foot rest, when said seat back is lowered.

4. A health chair with a plurality of movable parts, comprising a frame, an axle supported by the frame back member pivotally mounted on said axle, runners pivotally supported by said axle and extended forward therefrom, extension rails pivotally connected to the front ends of said runners, for supporting the legs and feet of an individual, a seat slidably mounted on said runners, arms pivotally supported on each side of said seat, for convenience of the occupant of said chair while seated, and adapted to be tilted backward with said chair-back to provide fulcrums for the arms of the individual for stretching his body, with a shaft rotatably supported by said frame, and means for turning the same, a driving pinion affixed to said shaft, and toothed segment carried on said back member operatively adjusted for being moved by said pinion, for tilting said back member level with and lower than said seat, and lever bars actuated by said back for simultaneously tilting said foot rest level with and higher than said seat, to bring said back, seat and foot rest on substantial even planes, at various angles over said axle, for adjustment of the visceral parts of the body and for relaxation of said body, with means connected with said foot rest for retaining the feet, when the arms of the individual are braced against said chair arms, for stretching the body for further relief and relaxation.

HENRY E. PETERS. 

